Games news

• With no deal, U.S. government shutdown likely to drag on past Christmas

  22-12-2018 23:44 via news.yahoo.com
  With no deal in sight on a bill to fund the government, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell sent senators home until Thursday.While he said he would call them back if a deal was struck, the decision all but guaranteed a partial shutdown would stretch at least until then.Lawmakers will depart Washington with Trump and Senate Democrats seemingly as entrenched in their positions as ever.
  
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• ExxonMobil ship approached by Venezuelan navy off Guyana

  22-12-2018 23:27 via news.yahoo.com
  GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — A ship hired by ExxonMobil was approached by a Venezuelan naval vessel off the coast of Guyana, one of the most serious incidents yet in oil-rich waters that Venezuela has long claimed as its own.
  
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• Mystery Filing Appears to Ask High Court to Act in Mueller Probe

  22-12-2018 23:09 via news.yahoo.com
  The document, which is under seal, stems from a Dec. 18 federal appeals court ruling that required an unidentified company, owned by an unidentified foreign country, to turn over information to a grand jury.The dispute is believed to be tied to Mueller’s probe, although public information about the case doesn’t mention him or the investigation.Mueller is investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible obstruction by President Donald Trump.
  
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• A Holiday Wish for All My Fellow 'Misfits' Out There

  22-12-2018 23:05 via news.yahoo.com
  What to keep in mind if you're feeling abandoned or alone
  
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• Shutdown Likely to Last Past Christmas as Talks on Wall Continue

  22-12-2018 22:59 via news.yahoo.com
  Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the Senate would adjourn for regular business until Dec. 27, but told reporters not to interpret that to mean negotiations have stalled.Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in the House, warned that the shutdown may not be resolved until early January, when her party takes control of the chamber.Vice President Mike Pence returned to the U.S. Capitol on Saturday to make an offer to the chamber’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer of New York, said Senate Appro
  
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• US anti-Isis envoy Brett McGurk quits over Trump Syria withdrawal

  22-12-2018 22:53 via news.yahoo.com
  Brett McGurk speaks in Baghdad in 2017.The US envoy to forces fighting to defeat Islamic State has resigned over Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria.Brett McGurk’s resignation follows that of Trump’s defense secretary, James Mattis, who announced his departure this week.
  
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• U.S. envoy in fight against Islamic State quits after Syria pullout

  22-12-2018 22:37 via news.yahoo.com
  Brett McGurk, U.S. special presidential envoy for the global coalition to defeat the militant group, submitted his resignation effective Dec. 31 to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday, a State Department official said.In an abrupt policy shift, Trump announced on Wednesday that Washington would withdraw the roughly 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria, upending a pillar of American policy in the Middle East and alarming U.S. allies.The decision was followed on Thursday by the surprise departure of U.
  
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• New Jersey referee suspended after forcing black wrestler to have haircut

  22-12-2018 22:00 via news.yahoo.com
  The video, which was uploaded on Twitter on Thursday by a reporter from SNJ Today newspaper, showed Andrew Johnson of Buena Regional High School in Buena, New Jersey, getting his dreadlocks hairstyle cut off by a school official.A referee named Alan Maloney, who is white, apparently had ordered Johnson to cut off his hair, according to local media reports."Deeply disturbed that Andrew Johnson, a student at Buena Regional H.S., was forced to choose between keeping his dreadlocks and competing in
  
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• Revenge porn scandal rocks LAPD

  22-12-2018 21:47 via news.yahoo.com
  An LAPD detective has filed a temporary restraining order against an LAPD senior lead officer accusing him of revenge porn after their relationship ended.
  
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• Abbas says he will dissolve Palestinian parliament

  22-12-2018 21:46 via news.yahoo.com
  Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said Saturday he intended to dissolve the largely defunct Palestinian parliament controlled by his rivals Hamas following a court decision ordering the move.Abbas did not say when the Ramallah-based Palestinian Constitutional Court issued the ruling that includes holding elections within six months of the Palestinian Legislative Council being dissolved."The issue reached the Constitutional Court which issued a verdict to dissolve the legislative council and cal
  
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• Judge accepts CVS offer on Aetna while reviewing consent decree

  22-12-2018 21:34 via news.yahoo.com
  A U.S. federal judge reviewing an agreement between the government and CVS Health Corpallowing it to buy health insurer Aetna has indicated that he will not halt most integration between the two companies.Judge Richard Leon said in an order on Friday evening that he would accept CVS's offer to allow Aetna to independently make critical product, pricing and personnel decisions during his review."Based on CVS's constructive and appropriate representations, I am satisfied that, so long as these mea
  
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• Twitter rages at a high school referee who forced a wrestler to cut off his dreads

  22-12-2018 21:13 via news.yahoo.com
  A high school wrestler from New Jersey, facing the threat of a forfeit, had his dreadlocks cut at a wrestling meet on Wednesday, sparking outrage across the internet against the white referee that gave him the ultimatum.A video of 120-pound Beuna Regional High School wrestler Andrew Johnson getting his hair cut was posted to Twitter by SNJ Today News sports director Mike Frankel.A referee wouldn't allow Andrew Johnson of Buena @brhschiefs to wrestle with a cover over his dreadlocks.
  
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• Why We Still Love the F-4 Phantom After 60 Years

  22-12-2018 21:00 via news.yahoo.com
  My theory is that the Phantom is beloved not just because it was successful, but because it wasn’t supposed to be.
  
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• Brett McGurk, US envoy to anti-ISIS coalition, quits over Trump’s Syria move, reports say

  22-12-2018 20:25 via news.yahoo.com
  Brett McGurk, the U.S. envoy to the global coalition fighting the Islamic State group, has resigned in protest to President Donald Trump's abrupt decision to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria.
  
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• Palestinian president to dissolve parliament, Hamas irate

  22-12-2018 20:22 via news.yahoo.com
  RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas pledged on Saturday to implement a court ruling and dissolve the parliament controlled by his rival Hamas movement, triggering warnings of chaos from the Islamic militant group.
  
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• The Latest: Hamas says dissolving parliament invites chaos

  22-12-2018 19:36 via news.yahoo.com
  GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Latest on Israel and the Palestinian territories (all times local):
  
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• Battle Princess Madelyn Review - Halfway There

  22-12-2018 19:36 via gamespot.com
  
  Few games wear their inspiration on their sleeve as proudly as Battle Princess Madelyn does. From the moment you lay eyes on its detailed pixel artwork and see the titular armor-clad Madelyn throwing lances at the creeping undead in a murky marsh, you'll immediately have flashbacks to the classic Ghosts 'n Goblins series. That's not a knock against the game--if you're going to take inspiration for your retro-styled platformer, you may as well take it from some time-tested classics. And when Batt
  
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• States help run U.S. National Parks in federal government shutdown

  22-12-2018 19:34 via news.yahoo.com
  The shutdown of all but essential federal services due to a Capitol Hill fight over U.S. President Donald Trump's funding demands for a Mexico border wall comes at the height of the Christmas travel season.The National Park Service said this week that parks will remain "as accessible as possible." During a three-day government shutdown in January, the gates to about two-thirds of national parks and monuments remained open."Services that require staffing and maintenance such as campgrounds and fu
  
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• Canada to press allies on bid to free detainees in China: Ottawa

  22-12-2018 19:25 via news.yahoo.com
  Freeland spoke a day after the United States joined Canada in calling on Beijing to release the pair, who were held after Canadian authorities arrested a senior Chinese executive on a U.S. extradition warrant."I will continue in the coming days, along with Canada's ambassadors around the world, to be speaking with foreign counterparts about this issue," Freeland told reporters on a conference call."Our ambassadors ... will be speaking directly in an organized effort with their counterparts."As w
  
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• Kurdish official calls on US to stop Turkish offensive

  22-12-2018 19:24 via news.yahoo.com
  A senior Kurdish official on Saturday urged the United States to stop Turkey launching an offensive against Kurdish areas in northern Syria, after Washington announced the withdrawal of American troops.The US has for years supported the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria, as part of an international anti-jihadist coalition.
  
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• Top US envoy in fight against IS group resigns: official

  22-12-2018 19:16 via news.yahoo.com
  Brett McGurk, the special US envoy to the coalition fighting the Islamic State group, has resigned, a State Department official said Saturday.Just last week McGurk, a Barack Obama appointee who Trump kept on, said "nobody is declaring a mission accomplished" in the battle against IS -- just days before the president's stunning announcement of victory against the jihadist movement.
  
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• Tony Wilson's Most Anticipated Game of 2019: Kingdom Hearts 3

  22-12-2018 19:00 via gamespot.com
  
  With 2019 right around the corner, we've polled GameSpot's staff to find out what games they are looking forward to most in the new year. To be eligible, a game must simply have a release date currently planned for 2019. Of course, we all know nothing is set in stone; there's always a chance some games could slip into 2020. When you're done reading this entry, follow along with all of our other end-of-the-year coverage collected in our Best of 2018 hub.Kingdom Hearts 3 is set to conclude the Dar
  
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• Matt Espineli's Most Anticipated Game of 2019: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice

  22-12-2018 19:00 via gamespot.com
  
  I've been a bit of a slow convert to From Software's work throughout the years. While I'm still learning to love Dark Souls, Bloodborne remains an all-time favorite of mine and the first (and only) game from the studio that I ever beat. Its moody gothic setting and speedy tactical combat resonated with me more than the slower, more defensive Dark Souls. But it seems the studio's latest, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, just might dethrone Bloodborne for me in 2019.I won't lie to you, I'm a big fan of
  
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• Alessandro Fillari's Most Anticipated Game Of 2019: Devil May Cry 5

  22-12-2018 19:00 via gamespot.com
  
  Ever since its reveal back at E3 2018, Devil May Cry 5 has continually impressed me with every new trailer and detail we learn about it. Sure, it's sticking close to the classic formula of battling legions of demons with gloriously over the top and somewhat impractical weapons, but Capcom's action game series has always been in a class of its own when it comes to high-flying, stylish combat. This all works thanks to its likeable cast of characters, including lead protagonist Dante and his famili
  
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• Syria sends reinforcements east after Trump's pullout plan

  22-12-2018 18:32 via news.yahoo.com
  BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian troops have sent reinforcements to the eastern province of Deir el-Zour close to an enclave controlled by the Islamic State group and along the front with U.S.-backed Kurdish-led fighters, a war monitor and pro-government pages on social media said Saturday.
  
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• Melania Trump's red topiary trees a hit at Christmas parties

  22-12-2018 18:18 via news.yahoo.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Melania Trump's cranberry topiary trees may have left some of her critics seeing red, but they turned out to be a Christmas hit — one of several new ideas the Trumps introduced this holiday season.
  
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• How will President Donald Trump, Congress get out of the government shutdown?

  22-12-2018 17:38 via news.yahoo.com
  President Trump warned he's "prepared for a very long shutdown," but just how long it takes will depend on how soon voters decide who is to blame.
  
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• Gatwick airport reopens after 2 arrested for using drones to disrupt flights

  22-12-2018 17:32 via news.yahoo.com
  A 47-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman have been arrested in connection with drones that forced the shutdown of London's Gatwick airport for two days, affecting 140,000 holiday travelers.
  
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• 'Inactive until further notice': Federal social media accounts post glum sign-offs for government shutdown

  22-12-2018 17:30 via news.yahoo.com
  Some impacted government agencies and departments flatly announced the shutdown would shutter the social media presences indefinitely.
  
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• Incoming Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney Once Called President Trump's Border Wall Plan 'Absurd'

  22-12-2018 17:27 via news.yahoo.com
  "It's easy to tell people what they want to hear, 'build the darn fence, vote for me'"
  
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• Ukraine's leader orders Orthodox Church to change its name

  22-12-2018 17:13 via news.yahoo.com
  KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's president on Saturday signed a bill that orders the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to change its name to reflect its ties to Moscow.
  
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• 8-year-old Congolese boy dies after undergoing surgery in Los Angeles to remove facial tumor

  22-12-2018 17:09 via news.yahoo.com
  The 8-year-old boy who went to California to have a massive tumor removed from his face died Friday night.
  
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• Pakistan says US troop withdrawal 'step forward' in Afghan peace effort

  22-12-2018 16:53 via news.yahoo.com
  Pakistan on Saturday welcomed President Donald Trump's decision to slash US troop numbers in Afghanistan, calling it a step towards peace in the war-torn nation.The decision to pull around half of the 14,000 American troops in Afghanistan has stunned and dismayed diplomats and officials in Kabul, and comes amid a renewed push for talks with the Taliban to end the 17-year war.Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the move was "a step forward" in the peace effort.
  
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• Federal shutdown begins after lawmakers fail to reach deal

  22-12-2018 16:37 via news.yahoo.com
  A partial federal shutdown took hold early Saturday after Democrats refused to meet President Donald Trump's demands for $5 billion to start erecting his cherished Mexican border wall, a chaotic postscript for Republicans in the waning days of their two-year reign controlling government.
  
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• Uranus is weird and researchers think a giant collision caused it

  22-12-2018 16:35 via news.yahoo.com
  Uranus has always been a bit of an oddball in our solar system and a new simulation presented by a group of researchers might explain why. Uranus, the seventh planet from the sun, is a peculiar ice giant that is tilted at a 98-degree angle — while every other planet spins on a vertical axis in relation to its orbit, Uranus spins on a horizontal axis. Researchers suggest that this may have been caused by a massive collision. SEE ALSO: Moody photo from Mars shows a giant crater loaded with i
  
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• Hoyer: We thought we had this fixed until the president changed his mind, he doesn’t have the votes for a wall

  22-12-2018 16:33 via news.yahoo.com
  Incoming House Majority Leader Democrat Steny Hoyer says it’s in the best interest of everyone to come to an agreement soon over a spending bill and end the partial government shutdown.
  
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• U.S. Aircraft Carriers Must Evolve or Die: Study

  22-12-2018 16:27 via news.yahoo.com
  U.S. aircraft carriers must either adopt new tactics and equipment for twenty-first-century warfare—or prepare to be sunk.
  
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• Mattis outlines strategic hazards facing next Pentagon chief

  22-12-2018 16:17 via news.yahoo.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — The extraordinary resignation letter that Defense Secretary Jim Mattis handed to a surprised President Donald Trump was not just a product of two years of accumulating frustration with an impulsive boss, but an outline of the strategic hazards facing the next Pentagon chief.
  
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• Bruce Klingner: My North Korea Prediction for 2019

  22-12-2018 16:16 via news.yahoo.com
  America will continue attempts at engagement, but Biegun warns that “the window of opportunity is closing.”
  
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• Van Jackson: My North Korea Prediction for 2019

  22-12-2018 16:11 via news.yahoo.com
  The appearance of progress belies the reality of an unchanging—or even worsening—situation below the surface.
  
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• How the government shutdown impacts the weather industry

  22-12-2018 15:50 via news.yahoo.com
  The shutdown forces several federal agencies to cease operations, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National Weather Service, the U.S. Geological Survey and NASA.
  
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• Two held over London airport drone chaos as flights resume

  22-12-2018 15:18 via news.yahoo.com
  Two middle-aged people were being held Saturday over the suspected "criminal use of drones" at London's Gatwick Airport, where flights were returning to normal after three days of pre-Christmas disruption affecting 140,000 passengers.Police swooped on a 47-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman from town of Crawley, which neighbours Britain's second-busiest airport.A Gatwick spokesman said the airport planned to run a full schedule of 757 flights carrying 124,484 passengers on Saturday.
  
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• There are so many great Philips Hue deals that’ll still arrive before Christmas

  22-12-2018 15:05 via news.yahoo.com
  Philips Hue smart LED lighting products are always best-sellers during the holiday shopping season, and the reasons for that isn't exactly a mystery. Philips Hue is super popular, and it's also a super expensive brand so people jump at the opportunity to save. One such opportunity is happening right now on Amazon, and the best part is all the products on sale will be delivered in time to give as Christmas gifts! That includes Philips Hue Single Premium A19 Smart Bulbs, Philips Hue White A19 4-Pa
  
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• Cancer the latest health woe for resilient Justice Ginsburg

  22-12-2018 15:03 via news.yahoo.com
  WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is resting in a New York hospital following surgery to remove two malignant growths in her left lung, the third time the Supreme Court's oldest justice has been treated for cancer and her second stay in a hospital in two months.
  
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• UK police arrest two over Gatwick Airport drones

  22-12-2018 14:54 via news.yahoo.com
  Police have arrested a man and woman over rogue drones that closed down Gatwick airport this week by flying on to the airfield. Lucy Fielder reports
  
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• Iran says U.S. presence in Syria was a mistake from the start

  22-12-2018 14:52 via news.yahoo.com
  Iran said that the U.S. military presence in Syria had been "a mistake, illogical and a source of tension", in Tehran's first reaction to President Donald Trump's planned pull-out.Trump has begun what will be a total withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, saying on Wednesday they had succeeded in their mission to defeat Islamic State and were no longer needed in the country."From the start, the entry and presence of American forces in the region has been a mistake, illogical and a source of tensi
  
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• Correction: YE-Top 10 Stories story

  22-12-2018 14:51 via news.yahoo.com
  NEW YORK (AP) — In a story Dec. 20 about the top 10 news stories of 2018, The Associated Press gave an incorrect breakdown of students and staff killed in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. There were 14 students and three staff members killed.
  
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• Brazil court overrules injunction on Boeing-Embraer tie-up

  22-12-2018 14:40 via news.yahoo.com
  A Brazilian court on Saturday shot down a fresh injunction by a judge over a plan by planemakers Boeing of the US and Embraer of Brazil to create a $5.26-billion joint venture, Brazil's state news agency said.It was the second time this month an appeals court has overruled decisions by a Sao Paulo judge, Victorio Guizio Neto, seeking to temporarily block the deal.The higher court said Saturday it was not up to Guizio Neto to decide the future of the proposed joint venture, noting that the Brazil
  
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• Mueller, Mattis, Mnuchin and May: What a Year

  22-12-2018 14:00 via news.yahoo.com
  The Balance of Power team went deeper on some of the biggest issues, from President Donald Trump’sSyria withdrawal to his counterpart Xi Jinping’sdefiance in making China into a global power.Then there was the surprise announcement of U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’s departure, which erased thelast line of defense to Trump’s “America First” doctrine, and the partial government shutdown.You can also have a look at what U.K. Prime Minister Theresa M
  
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• Amazon has a rare discount on Apple Watch Series 4, and up to $50 off Series 3

  22-12-2018 13:50 via news.yahoo.com
  If you're in the market for a new Apple Watch, today is a very good day to finally pull the trigger. Amazon is running a great sale that shaves $50 off the price of the Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + Cellular, 42mm) - Space Gray Aluminum Case with Black Sport Band and the Apple Watch Series 3 (GPS + Cellular, 42mm) - Silver Aluminum Case with White Sport Band. Those deals are great, but there's also another deal worth checking out: Amazon is running a deal that slashes the price of the Apple Watch
  
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